President stands firmly behind Tom DeLay

I don't understand. Right now, teh President is in an uphill battle to promote his Social Security Plan. Yet here he is standing pat with Tom DeLay, a man fighting many battles of his own (see below.) Could it be that teh President needs DeLay to ass his agenda, thereby making the true Speaker's role a mere ceremony? Seems to me the President needs all the help he can get, which right now should mean keep away from DeLay. Could it be arrogance?

President Bush offered a gesture of support today for Tom DeLay, the embattled House majority leader, by giving him a ride back to Washington from their home state of Texas aboard Air Force One.

Mr. Bush is near the end of a 60-day series of personal forays around the country to build support for his efforts to overhaul the Social Security system and offer workers the chance to divert some of their payroll taxes into personal investment accounts that they would manage for themselves. With opinion polls showing only tepid public support for the plan, Congress began hearings today on ways to overhaul Social Security, and Democratic leaders held rallies in New York and Washington to express opposition to the president's proposals.

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